Video games, particularly computer based games and game stations, have become extremely popular. The combination of visual and audio stimulation has succeeded in capturing a significant portion of people's leisure time. Various games have been developed, with associated hardware, that further involves the sense of touch, by allowing for varying input instruments. In one example, a musical instrument such as a mock guitar, is utilized as a game input, thus involving the sense of touch.
Games have been developed providing for a virtual reality world, again based on stimulating various user senses. However, to date, the remaining senses, namely smell and taste have not been stimulated.
While the above has been described in relation to games, this is not meant to be limiting in any way. Many other uses of an electronically controlled scent system exist, such as alarms, the improvement of communication, and mood enhancements, without limitation, are specifically included herein.
U.S. Patent Application Publication S/N 2008/0043204 published Feb. 21, 2008 to Guo, is addressed to a digital scent movie projector with sound channels. Scent making devices release a scent into a cinema, thereby providing for film arts to provide a sense of sight, hearing and smell as part of movie. Unfortunately, scent provided by Guo is arranged to be released into a large space, which is not appropriate for an individual use. Furthermore, the scent of Guo utilizes a plurality of scent cans feeding pressure reducing valves, and is thus limited in terms of its ability to accurately control the amount of persistence of the scent.
Various nebulizer schemes are known to the prior art, including placing a vibrating fine mesh in contact with a liquid to be nebulized. The mesh typically is arranged to be sufficiently fine so as to block any flow of the liquid and is vibrated, typically at ultrasonic frequencies, thereby atomizing the liquid. Unfortunately, such a scheme suffers from certain drawbacks, such as spontaneous scent leakage since there is no means to prevent spontaneous release of volatile vapors via the mesh opening. Furthermore, any molecules adhering to the mesh walls may be released without further vibration, further leading to undesired scent persistence. Additionally, there is a tendency for the fine mesh to become blocked by organic and/or inorganic molecules, such as aqueous salts adhering to the mesh openings. Furthermore, micro-droplets cannot be properly formed from liquid with a viscosity of greater than 10 cps and thus the liquid will not be atomized sufficiently. Furthermore, the mesh aperture which is fixed in size is designed for producing a desired droplet size for a viscosity and surface tension of a particular liquid, and a particular fixed mesh based nebulizer can not be used for any of a plurality of liquids having a range of viscosity without changing the fixed mesh. Additionally, vibrating the mesh at frequencies of greater than 1 Mhz, which is preferred for improved atomization, will cause less effective atomization because of the properties of the mesh.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,301,093 issued on Nov. 17, 1981 to Eck, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference, is addressed to a liquid atomizer where liquid is disposed on a face of an atomizer plate, where it is then atomized. Disadvantageously, the disposed liquid is open to the ambient air, which raises persistence issues.
U.S. Patent Application Publication S/N 2011/0266359 published Nov. 3, 2011 to Haran, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein by reference, is addressed to an electronically controlled scent producing element comprising an atomizer constituted of a first plate exhibiting a plurality of micro-plugs and a second plate exhibiting a plurality of perforations, the micro-plugs arranged to mate with the perforations. Scent liquid is then atomized by the atomizer. Disadvantageously, vibrating the disclosed atomizer at frequencies greater than 1 Mhz, which is preferred for improved atomization, will cause less effective atomization because of the properties of the atomizer. Additionally, micro-droplets cannot be properly formed from liquid with a viscosity of greater than 10 cps and thus the liquid will not be atomized sufficiently.
Additionally, many prior art solutions suffer from residual scent, i.e. undesired scent persistence. Residual scent is particularly problematic in the case of individual scent needs, such as computer gamers, which often play in undisturbed spaces, where scents easily linger. In particular, any physical element which has been contacted by a concentration of scent molecules continues to exude the scent. The residual scent further contaminates additional scents, which may need to be rapidly emitted in line with progress of the game.